27 May 2023
Scenery was absolutely stunning. Our skipper, Rob, used his extensive experience to create wonderful daily itineraries to discuss & review. The variety of onshore trips to the Small Isles & Skye was magical. An extra hour on Muck, Rum & Canna to walk & explore a wee bit more would have been welcome. Overnight anchorages were beautiful, sheltered & peaceful. Apart from the Small Isles, my highlight was watching the leaping dolphins & harbour porpoises. Will, our wildlife guide, was a walking source of knowledge. The crew were welcoming, knowledgeable & attended to our every need with care. All of the crew had a good sense of humour so there was a holiday atmosphere & fun, as well as time to reflect. Phoebe’s cooking is divine - it was such a luxury to have home made gluten free fare. If she has time to email the rhubarb tart & pecan bisc recipe that would be great. Bea is a hard working bundle of fun - a great housekeeper & hostess. It was so easy to book & pay. Emma emailed clear & timely information. When I phoned with a question she was very helpful. Treat yourself to the trip of a lifetime. Just do it!
Jenny Doig
This must be one of the most relaxing holidays I have ever been on. A lifelong ambition was fulfilled be visiting Staffa and seeing Fingal's Cave and it was every bit as spectacular as I had hoped. Not only did we walk down the route to it to look into it but, thanks to Chris judging the tide to be right, he was able to get us right inside it. Iona and its abbey were impressive too of course and being able to land on Lunga in the Treshnish Islands and see the seabird colonies - puffins galore - was equally marvellous. The sail round Mull was an eye-opener too, seeing lochs from the sea rather than from the land. They were wonderful locations to spend the nights. And the weather was glorious. The wildlife was in abundance too with lots of seabirds and seals and good sightings of cetaceans. Bottle-nosed dolphins were the first up to bow-wave and we also had 4 or 5 Minke whales fishing and a few porpoises, but the most spectacular were over 100 Common Dolphins which came leaping from all directions to accompany us for over an hour. The hospitality on board was as friendly as ever on a Hebrides Cruises's trip thanks to Chris, Craig, Zoe and Sian with her delicious meals. Add to that very compatible fellow-travellers and no WiFi (so no gloomy news) and this was a holiday to be long treasured in the memory.
Helen Mainwood: 23 April 2022Idyllic Islands: Mull, Iona, Staffa & the Treshnish Isles